As one who has brought back to life a few apparently comatose`d
if not dead cars, I found the easiest method for me to release a "stuck
clutch" was to get the rear axle up on STRONG axle stands...... After the
engine has been warmed up to close to normal running temp, just put it
in gear, bring the speed up and with some careful heel and toeing, hold
the clutch down and hit the brakes hard, this method has till now always
worked though on occasion more than one attempt has been found necessary.

To polish the rust off the flywheel, when back on the
deck I just sit at the clutches "point of contact" for a short time thus
very lightly polishing the faces by slipping the clutch. It is possible
to expand on this method by jamming the clutch actuating mechanism in order
to free your feet from the necessity to heel and toe should such dance
steps be found difficult to those born with feet unsuitable to such intricacies
within the confines of a Morgan footwell.

It may be worth while to note that "my method" is best
not tried in an enclosed space, due to the fume implications, and perhaps
it is wise not to be pointing at anything "hard" should you use an unsuitable
method of keeping the rear wheels free of the deck......Enough said (typed)
?

FREEING A FROZEN CLUTCH IIfrom the Chicagoland MG Club

When a manual transmission vehicle is placed in storage
the fiber of the clutch disc is held captive, under considerable force,
between the flywheel face and the pressure plate. From just normal operation,
the friction surfaces of both the flywheel and the pressure plate are highly
polished and are prone to rusting out when out of use for even a few short,
consecutive weeks.

This accumulation of rust is accelerated when the parts
are subject to extreme changes in temperature and humidity, as is the case
when the car is stored in an unheated garage over the winter. It is little
wonder therefore, that at the end of an extended storage period the flywheel,
clutch disc and pressure plate are often found to be fused together by
rust into what seems to be a solid unit. This makes it appear that the
crankshaft is permanently connected to the input shaft of the transmission,
since no amount of pumping the clutch pedal will cause the clutch disc
to disengage.

At this point the object of the sport is to free the clutch
disc while simultaneously subjecting all the components to minimum levels
of mechanical stress. To this end the car, while still in the driveway
or garage, is prepared as follows. With the transmission in neutral the
engine is started and such tune-up tasks as required are performed to obtain
a reasonably smooth idle. The engine is allowed to warm up so that it starts
easily and reliably. Then the engine is switched OFF and the car is taken
to a "safe" location such as an empty parking lot or field, so that should
it lurch forward unexpectedly during the clutch freeing operation there
will be no objects in front of the car into which it might collide. (You
really do not want to be featured on America's Funniest Home Videos!) Now,
get down to business with the following suggested procedure:

1. With the engine and parking brake OFF and the vehicle
pointed in a safe direction, use a gas station type hydraulic jack to lift
both rear wheels so they are clear of the ground by about two inches.

2. The driver then climbs into the car and confirms that
there are no obstacles or people in front of the vehicle.

3. With the engine and parking brake still OFF, the transmission
is shifted into high gear.

4. The engine is started and throttled up to a constant
tachometer reading of about 1500 rpm.

5. The driver depresses the clutch pedal and KEEPS IT
DEPRESSED.

6. With the clutch pedal depressed the brakes (parking
or foot pedal, it doesn't matter which) are GENTLY applied. If the rust
bond between the flywheel and the clutch disc is fairly weak, the clutch
disc should pop free during light to medium braking.

A.) Brakes should not be applied excessively hard or allowed to slip for
extended periods because this will only overheat the shoes and drums unnecessarily.
However, we do have a back-up plan!

B.) If the clutch disc does not come free after a few gentle attempts as
described thus proceed to more drastic measures as offered in step 7 and
here you will need an assistant!

7. Confirm that the following conditions are extant:

* Engine is at 1500 rpm
* Clutch pedal is depressed fully
* Transmission is in high gear
* Rear wheels are off the ground and turning
* NO obstacles are in front of the car
* Driver is prepared to stop vehicle and switch engine off immediately!

Your assistant "snaps" open the valve of the hydraulic
jack and the rear of the car drops to the ground. Because the clutch pedal
is depressed, only rust is holding the clutch disc to the flywheel. When
the rear wheels hit the ground the engine attempts to move the car forward
(transmission in high gear remember?) but the rust bond between the clutch
disc and the flywheel breaks under the torque load. The clutch disc should
break away from the flywheel with the finesse comparable to that of an
experienced child who can separate an Oreo cookie from the white stuff
without generating a crumb!

This method is gentle and effective even if step 7 must
be repeated (a rare situation) because the vehicle is never subjected to
the "irresistible force meeting an immovable object scenario", since the
car can move forward should the clutch disc not break free when the rear
wheels hit the ground.

This technique is by no means new! As a matter of interest
my first encounter with this problem was during World War II (1943) when
my father decided to resurrect a 1929 Model A Ford Coupe which had been
languishing for years with a collection of outdated, horse drawn farm machinery
in a dilapidated shed on our farm!

The
clutch mechanism on these cars contains a Morgan-only part. It has a habit
of failing, creating a dragging clutch (hard or impossible to shift). Look
at the diagram attached. The assembly at "A" is the guilty party. It is
a tube with two metal plates attached to it. One is upright and connected
to the pedal through adjustable threaded post. The second, in the diagram,
is canted forward and it is here the cable is attached.

The plates, especially the one indicated as "A" detaches
from the tube. When that happens, you effectively have no clutch. However,
it is hard to ascertain as, at a glance, all often looks fine with it.
You need two people, one at the pedal and another watching in the front
to see what is happening (if anything) when the pedal is depressed.

If the part is not available from the MMC, it can be fabricated
by a machinist or contact Ben.

More from Andrew Moore and Andrew Green

IF the CVH arrangement is as the preceding crossflow,
there might be some free-play that may confuse even experienced mechanics!
My recollection is that, to achieve the correct free-play at the pedal
and hence correct engagement and disengagement of the clutch, ALL free-play
is adjusted out of the cable by those nuts at the bell-housing. Therefore
it would be worth checking that one.

Pull out rubber boot from bellhousing and slide back along
cable,exposing cable adjustment nuts at cable end. Grasp outer case of
cable and pull forward to take up any free-play in the cable .If there
is no free-play, all is well and the boot can be replaced. If there is
free-play (to be felt and seen), continue to pull cable forward, whilst
turning the adjusting nut (nearest the bellhousing) down the adjuster thread
until it contacts The cable bush in the bellhousing. Tighten the locknut
up behind the adjusting nut without disturbing the adjusting nut position.
Any free-play previously in the cable is thus taken up. Refit the rubber
boot. A five minute check that might just do the trick ! Do hope this helps.
I think 2X 17mm spanners are needed to adjust the free play at the rubber
boot.